A NEW report has called for protection and restoration of the Westcountry’s remaining temperate rainforests, such as Horner Woods, on the edge of Exmoor, near Porlock

Temperate rainforests, among the rarest habitats on Earth, support unique biodiversity and provide vital benefits for climate regulation and natural flood management for human wellbeing.

They have been a feature of the Westcountry for centuries, but only small fragments remain, which are vulnerable to a range of threats and at risk of being lost or damaged.

Now, a report by Plymouth University, ‘The State of the South West Rainforests’, has highlighted less than 10 per cent of the Westcountry’s rainforest climatic zone includes suitable woodland, while only one per cent of existing woodlands are located in the most favourable zone supporting temperate rainforests - called the hyper-oceanic zone - illustrating how rare such habitats are.

Yet, 40 per cent, or about 2.5 million acres, of the region offers the appropriate climatic conditions to support a rainforest landscape.

The report found the vast majority of ancient woodland within the rainforest landscape, sites which have existed since 1600 and which cover two per cent of the suitable land area, has no legal protection.

Just 15 per cent is recognised by the Government as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and much of the wider temperate rainforest landscape was in a poor or unfavourable state and under threat from factors including climate change, over and under-grazing, and the spread of invasive species.

The report was commissioned by the Woodland Trust on behalf of the South West Rainforest Alliance (SWRA) to help guide strategy and partnership to counteract the threats and raise awareness of the region’s extremely rare and important temperate rainforests.

The Woodland Trust’s Eleanor Lewis said: “The Woodland Trust has been championing temperate rainforest conservation across the South West for decades.

“This piece of work has provided us with a really valuable snapshot of the extent and health of our rainforests in the region, as well as the urgent need for action.

“Significantly, it has provided us with an essential blueprint for how we prioritise efforts and collaborate to protect, restore, and create this rare and vital habitat.”

SWRA’s Ennia Bosshard said: “This report shows just how rare and fragile the South West’s temperate rainforests are - and that we have both a unique opportunity and a shared responsibility to protect and restore one of the world’s rarest habitats.

“It provides our first ever baseline for understanding where these rainforests survive here in the South West, the key threats they face, and the priority areas for restoration and expansion.

“We hope it also inspires people to get involved, whether by joining local community conservation projects, supporting research and monitoring, or restoring woodland on their land, so that together we can safeguard these extraordinary rainforests for the future.”

Lead author of the report, Dr Thomas Murphy, said: “We found temperate rainforests face numerous threats in the South West, but there are also massive opportunities for restoration and expansion of this globally significant habitat.”